Various tourniquet devices that use a wide variety of clamping and/or pneumatic means to apply pressure to various limbs on the body have been attempted. However, prior attempts at occluding hemorrhaging from these major blood vessels of the body have not been completely successful, especially if attempted on gross battle-field wounds such as leg amputations due to anti-personnel mines or high velocity bullet percussion wounds to the lower extremities and other injuries associated with improvised explosive device (IED) detonations and the like.
This is an article where the USAMRMC is seeking information regarding novel junctional tourniquets,
Junctional Tourniquets for the Department of Defense Research, on Combat Casualty Care
The Combat Casualty Care Research Program of the Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) provides integrated capabilities for far-forward medical care to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with major battlefield wounds and injuries. The primary focus is to make possible the highest degree of medical care available in the pre-ambulance and pre-evacuation environment prior to reaching a higher level of care. The USAMRMC is seeking information regarding novel junctional tourniquets, both FDA approved and prototype devices, for hemorrhage control of junctional injuries and quadrant injuries on the battlefield including iliac and axillary.
Interested firms should submit a 1 to 3-page white paper (with additional sheets for diagrams as necessary) describing such devices and the concept of use. Information will be reviewed pursuant to consideration for the development of a request for devices to be tested. As such, any descriptions of clinical use or test and evaluation studies will be of use. For the purposes of this request for information, we anticipate that devices:
Will be able to occlude arterial bleeding from femoral, iliac, subclavian, axillary, and brachial arteries at compressible sites where standard tourniquets cannot be applied;                1. Can be point specifically (by injury type) applied and height/size adjusted easily in a tactical environment;        2. Must not slip during tightening or following application on a victim;        3. Be capable of easy release and reapplication;        4. Be of light weight, simple, and durable design;        5. Have long shelf life, low manufacturing/selling cost and of low volume when cubed into a kit pack.        
While developing a Junctional Tourniquet Kit and protocol, for rural and urban law enforcement personnel, it was discovered that no practical torso tourniquets were available. To rectify the situation the Junctional Tourniquet Kit was devised, and created, that addresses, and satisfies, all of USAMRMC's “junctional tourniquet” requirements plus being a great advancement in first aide care for military as well as the civilian medical caregivers.
Numerous innovations for tourniquets have been provided in the prior art that art described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present Point Specific Junctional Tourniquet as hereinafter contrasted. The following is a summary of those prior art patents most relevant to the design at hand, as well as a description outlining the difference between the features of the present Point Specific Junctional Tourniquet and those of the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No 6,884,254 of Shan L. Brooks describes a tourniquet system having a strap, a clamp for selectively engaging the strap in which once the clamp engages the strap, the clamp permits the strap to pass substantially freely in a direction away from the clamp and substantially prevents the strap from passing in a direction towards the clamp and securing structure attached to the strap for securing the strap.
This patent describes a tourniquet system having a strap that may be useful around the legs and aims but would be of no use on the major arteries of the torso.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,517 of Croushorn et al. describes a portable pneumatic abdominal aortic tourniquet for occlusion of the abdominal descending aorta to restrict blood supply to a non-compressible arterial hemorrhage in the abdominal region. The tourniquet comprising an adjustable waist strap for securing around an abdomen; a directed air bladder mounted to the waist strap having a generally “V” shaped construction operable between a deflated condition wherein the directed air bladder is collapsed, and an inflated condition wherein the directed air bladder is expanded for exerting pressure against the abdomen; and, an air source connected to the directed air bladder for operating the directed air bladder between the deflated condition and the inflated condition. This device is not suited for application on the upper torso or subclavian area.
This patent describes a portable pneumatic abdominal aortic tourniquet for occlusion of the abdominal descending aorta with arterial hemorrhage in the abdominal region. This patent does not supply a kit with items that will be useful in a variety of different areas of the body. Within tins device also exists the possibility of a fatal flaw, in that this device is made from rubber or the like. As rubber and some similar materials age, they can become brittle and susceptible to cracking, leaking and breaking.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,149,280 of Croushorn et al. describes a portable pneumatic abdominal aortic tourniquet for occlusion of the abdominal descending aorta to restrict blood supply to a non-compressible arterial hemorrhage in or below the inguinal region is presented. The tourniquet includes an adjustable waist strap for securing it around the abdomen of a patient and a windlass rod connected to the waist strap to selectively tighten the strap as needed to tightly secure it to patient. A directed air bladder is mounted to the waist strap having a generally “V” shaped construction and is expanded for exerting directed pressure against the abdomen. Upon inflation of the air bladder and adjustment of the windlass, occlusion or restriction of blood flow through the abdominal descending aorta will occur which will achieve cessation of hemorrhage in or below the inguinal area or achieve other therapeutic effects like elevated blood pressure to enhance CPR or blood flow control to the lower extremities.
This patent still does not supply a kit with items that will be useful in a variety of different areas of the body to restrict blood flow.
U.S. pending patent application Publication No. 20070005107 of John Janota describes a military emergency tourniquet is a device for rapidly and easily reducing or stopping blood flow to a limb. The tourniquet utilizes a closed loop system and includes a twistable strap, a base including two opposing entry apertures and an exit aperture, a windlass and at least one receiving loop. The twistable strap is slidably positioned through the opposing entry apertures and the exit aperture thereby forming a closed loop. The windlass is positioned outside of the dosed loop and is affixed to one end of the strap. The windlass includes an aperture capable of sliding the opposing end of the strap there through. The receiving loop receives an end of the windlass and is affixed to the base. This device would require a substantial length of limb to be protruding from torso to function. Therefore, it would be of no use in cases of complete limb amputations.
This patent describes a military emergency tourniquet which is a device for rapidly and easily reducing or stopping blood flow to a limb. The tourniquet utilizes a closed loop system and includes a twistable strap but does not supply a variable height adjustable compression device suitable for application on various parts of the body including the torso. Thus, as mentioned, a disadvantage of this device would be that it would be of no use in cases involving complete amputations.
U.S. pending patent application Publication No. 20130267994AL of Tyler L. Crowder describes an occlusion attachment device for coupling with a tourniquet includes a projection that can be attached using a platform to a portion of a tourniquet in an emergency situation, thereby providing a modified tourniquet that includes the projection. Clip-on, slide-on, and clamping structures associated with the platform are described.
This patent describes an occlusion attachment device for coupling with a tourniquet suitable for an arm or a leg but does not supply a Point Specific Junctional Tourniquet suitable for application on various parts of the body including the torso.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,888,807 of Mark Esposito describes a tourniquet for restricting a flow of blood in a body part is presented. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the tourniquet comprises a first elongated member, and a second elongated member in slidable engagement with the first elongated member. In addition, the tourniquet includes a tensioning mechanism connected to the second elongated member, wherein a compressive force is applied to the body part upon applying a tensile force to the second elongated member using the tensioning mechanism. The tourniquet is suited for emergency use and may be applied by using only one hand. Thus, the tourniquet may be applied, manipulated and tightened by the wearer, even if the wearer is limited to the use of a single hand.
This patent describes a tourniquet for restricting a flow of blood in a leg or arm but does not does not supply a tourniquet with variable height compression devices useful in a variety of different areas of the body, but would be of no use in complete dismemberments.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,926,536 of Lance David Hopman et al describes a junctional and truncal tourniquet and a hip-girdling pelvic sling device for maintaining a desired amount of tension surrounding a person's hips and pelvis to securely support and stabilize a pelvis that has been fractured and for securing a pressure applying device to a person with a preferred amount of tension so that blood vessel-occluding pressure can be applied. Areas of mating types of fastener material such as mating hook-beating fastener material and loop pile fastener material are arranged on the device to enable a strap to be secured at various effective lengths to provide a wide range of adjustability. The device may include inflatable bladders, and may be wrapped around a patient's torso to occlude blood vessels proximal to an injury on a limb. A bladder may be expandable in distinct tiers and may carry a separate and removable pressure-concentrating fitting. An auxiliary strap may be included and may be used to keep the junctional and truncal tourniquet in place on a patient's torso. This device also requires an existing limb be present to function.
This patent describes a junctional and truncal tourniquet and a hip-girdling pelvic sling device'for maintaining a desired amount of tension surrounding a person's hips and pelvis to securely support and stabilize a pelvis that has been fractured but does not supply a variable height adjustable compression device tourniquet with features that will be useful in variety of different areas of the body to rapidly restrict blood flow.